Conquering 90% of the known world by the age of 25, Alexander the Great (Farrell) led his armies through 22,000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years. Coming out of tiny Macedonia, Alexander led his armies against the mighty Persian Empire, drove west to Egypt, and finally made his way east to India. This film will concentrate on those eight years of battles, as well as his relationship with his boyhood friend and battle mate, Hephaestion. Alexander died young, of illness, at 33. Alexander's conquests paved the way for the spread of Greek culture (facilitating the spread of Christianity centuries later), and removed many of the obstacles that might have prevented the expansion of the Roman Empire. In other words, the world we know today might never have been if not for Alexander's bloody, yet unifying, conquest. [TRAILER]

STEVEN SNYDER'S REVIEW

“Alexander,” Oliver Stone’s historic epic about the great conqueror of the East, opens and closes with lengthy monologues from a robe-wearing Anthony Hopkins, who reappears throughout the film to summarize this controversial legend, the forces that tore at him to become someone other than who he was, and the complicated legacy he left in his wake.

In a thankless role, Hopkins as narrator single-handedly carries much of this oh-so-lengthy ordeal (it runs nearly three hours), and he individually brings to life the more interesting parts of this story: The private Alexander (Colin Farrell), who was torn sexually, emotionally, and politically, who brought peace to the world by first waging war, and who brought unprecedented prestige to the Greeks while tearing his very empire apart.

But much like this hero, who is confused and lacks a center, Stone’s epic story does not have a core to its vision, too often drifting aimlessly through time and space.

Alexander the Great, for those unaware, was a ruler who took control of the Greek and Macedonian armies as a young twenty something and proceeded to conquer the majority of the world’s civilizations, traveling some 20,000 miles to the edges of the known world.

What’s missing from “Alexander,” in contrast to such other brilliant biopics as “Braveheart” or today’s “Kinsey,” is that there is no link between the various motivations that changed his life. In a movie like “Braveheart,” the story advances quickly through a lifetime, but the important motivating moments are always given sufficient time to remind us of who this hero is and why he is acting the way he is.

In “Alexander,” Stone fast-forwards through eight year chunks, from one major battle to the next, and increasingly focuses literally on what Alexander did, rather than offering up thoughts about the more important question of “why?”

The film does this best when patiently exploring the younger Alexander, and how he slowly came to accept his destiny. Here, we see his sexually suggestive relationship with his mother (Angelina Jolie), who is aware of the conspiracies surrounding them and plots endlessly to bring Alexander to power, and also his bisexuality that not only affected him socially but politically, as he required a male heir.

And it is only here where Alexander becomes a complete, complex person. He both admires and is disgusted by his mother, is confused over his place in this world, and as king plays both the reluctant ruler and ruthless tyrant. To some degree, we see the real tragedy of his life, in which Alexander the Great was an unprecedented hero to so many, but was not even content in his own skin.

After this opening, the film races ahead in jarring fashion. We see the expansion of his empire, but do not really understand the importance of what’s occurring. We are given Zeus’ all-seeing view of one of Alexander’s largest battles, but then become lost amid the carnage because we cannot relate to these nameless masses fighting and dying.

The film’s casting is notable. The restrained, youthful, and even shy Farrell is clearly an attempt to buck the traditional sandals and swords hero. And Val Kilmer, as Alexander’s father, gives the movie’s most well-rounded performance, bringing to life the conflicted psyche of a king and father, a mix of love, insecurity, testosterone and fear.

At one point, Alexander stands atop a mountain and looks eastward in search of the edge of the world. He is obsessed with journeying further, and is convinced, despite praise from his inner council, that he has not yet achieved anything that truly matters.

It is here where the movie should peak, capturing the curse of a man who possessed the world but now longed only for the stars. Instead, we have lost sight of his emotions, have stopped caring about his quest, and when Hopkins’ narrator must intrude to carefully explain the moment’s meaning, it becomes clear that even the gifted Stone knows his first ancient epic has hopelessly lost its way.

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